Gas turbine engines, such as power generating gas turbine engines, are subject to increasingly strict emissions regulations. Additionally, many power generating gas turbine engines, such as marine or industrial gas turbine engines, are derived from aero gas turbine engines initially designed for aircraft propulsion. However, aero gas turbine engines often prioritize decreasing axial and/or radial dimensions while generating a similar or greater energy output. As such, decreased aero gas turbine engine dimensions may adversely affect combustion assemblies for power generating gas turbine engines, such as by reducing a flowpath length available for sufficient fuel-air mixing necessary to meet or exceed emissions regulations.
Known combustor assemblies undesirably include significant pressure losses, flow non-uniformity, decreased backflow margins, or insufficient flowpath length, volume, and residence time for combustion gases, thereby reducing performance, increasing emissions, and reducing durability. As such, there is a need for a combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine that increases a combustor flowpath and premixer length while reducing pressure losses, enables flow uniformity, and improves backflow margins to improve performance, durability, and emissions output.